Dr. Bonnie Henry t-shirts raise more than $10K for charity

VICTORIA --
A t-shirt that immortalizes the face of B.C.'s top doctor has raised thousands of dollars for a charity that gives free meals to those in need.

Two Victoria residents came up with the idea for the t-shirt fundraiser as a way to thank Dr. Bonnie Henry for the work she is doing and also raise money for Rainbow Kitchen Society in Esquimalt.

Patrick Johnstone is the director of Rainbow Kitchen and said the group has seen the demand for their meals double since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“She deserves the accolades,” Johnstone said of the provincial health officer. “It is a tough job and thank goodness we have someone leading us like her.”

Joanna Witham and Katharine McCallion designed the shirts with the help of their friend Mitch Hawes. All of the proceeds from the shirts go to the Rainbow Kitchen to help it continue to serve free daily meals and host community programs.

One shirt design depicts Henry's face in the style of the iconic Obama 'Hope' poster. Another bears the simple but impactful phrase, 'Dr. Bonnie F*cking Henry.’

“People are so excited because it’s going towards a good cause and they want to support the Rainbow Kitchen in this way,” said Witham. “For everyone to get behind Dr. Bonnie Henry and to celebrate her in the way that we all believe she deserves to be celebrated is awesome.”

Their fundraising has only been going on for a few weeks and they’ve already raised more than $10,000.

“That is 3,000 meals going out the door for us being able to provide,” said Johnstone. “That’s 15 days’ worth of goods.”

The Rainbow Kitchen provides multiple programs, activities, support services and serves up to 100,000 nutritious meals a year. More shirts are being made, and they will be on sale until the end of May.